180 BIRDS OF NORFOLK. 



of coarse grass in the drained marsh." The female sits 

 very close, and it is difficult to disturb her. On the 25th 

 April, 1862, Mr. Blofeld examined a nest containing 

 fourteen eggs, and, on the 30th April, another with ten 

 eggs. On 29th May, 1871, I found a nest of this species 

 exceptionally situated on the edge of the " rond " near a 

 reed-bed ; I had a good view of the bird as she left her 

 nest. On the 10th May, 1881, I saw a garganey's nest 

 in the dry grazing marshes, in a tuft of rough grass on 

 the bank of a Broad drain. Mr. A. H. Evans describes 

 a nest which he saw in 1882, containing seven eggs, as 

 situated in a " grass field." 



Mr. F. Frere, in a letter to Mr. Stevenson, says that 

 " Flatten, who was Captain Ensor's keeper, says gar- 

 ganeys bred on his marshes all his time, and that in 

 June, 1874 (the last year he was with Captain Ensor), he 

 knew of a nest about one hundred yards from the Broad, 

 in a rough marsh, from which twelve young ones were 

 hatched, and were about till the month of August, when 

 several were shot with flappers." 



On the 29th May, 1884, Sir E. Newton saw a nest of 

 this species near one of the Broads, which had contained 

 five eggs, two of which had been taken ; it was situated 

 on the " wall," " a bank raised some three feet above 

 the level of the marsh, and, perhaps, twenty feet wide. 

 The nest was in some long grass, well concealed, but 

 within a yard of a path, whicli was daily used by mowers." 

 On the 30th April, 1886, he was shown another nest in 

 the same neighbourhood, containing eight eggs. This 

 nest was situated " on a fairly well-drained grass field, 

 with a few tufts of rushes here and there, in one of 

 which was the nest." 



Mr. J. H. Gurney, jun., on May 8th, 1885, saw a 

 nest containing only one egg, which was quite covered 

 by the downy lining; the inside diameter of the nest 

 was only six inches. Close by was a second nest, which 

 had probably belonged to the same pair of birds, but 

 the eggs had been destroyed ; it exactly resembled 

 the previous nest, and in each case he noticed a little 

 run or pathway leading up to the nest. At the same 

 time he was shown another nest from which nine eggs 

 had been taken j it was well lined with black down, each 



